Transfer Credit Policy

The Ed.D. program in Leadership, Learning, and Educational Change values the diverse experiences and prior learning of its students.

This transfer credit policy is designed to maintain the integrity of the EdD program while providing flexibility for students who have completed relevant graduate coursework at other accredited institutions or within other graduate programs at Missouri State University (MSU). 

Transfer credits for all courses will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the EdD program director in consultation, as necessary, with the EdD advisory committee, and in accordance with the university graduate transfer credit policy and the university graduate program completion requirements policy.  

Conditions, limitations, and exclusions for transfer credit 

  1. Maximum Transfer Credits: The total number of transfer credits will not exceed 16% of the total credit hours required for a student’s specific EdD plan of study (i.e., no more than 9 credit hours for a student completing a 55-credit hour plan of study). 
  2. Evidence of Proficiency: Proposed transfer courses must have been completed with no less than a grade of A and within five years of the student’s first semester in the program (i.e., for students beginning Fall 2025, courses taken prior to Fall 2020 would not be accepted). In addition, students must demonstrate the requisite knowledge/skills essential to the course by providing relevant documentation (e.g., transcripts, syllabi, etc.). 
  3. Specialized Area of Interest/Elective Courses: Transfer requests for courses that will be applied as Specialized Area of Interest/Elective Courses within a student’s specific EdD plan of study must demonstrate equivalency in content, rigor, and learning outcomes to a corresponding graduate-level course offered at MSU and must contribute to a coherent plan of study that supports the student’s professional goals.   
  4. Core Curriculum: The following courses will not be considered for transfer credit as they are integral to the design and aims of the EdD program:
    • EDU 900 - Introduction to Doctoral Studies 
    • EDU 910 - Critical Perspectives in Education: Challenges and Opportunities 
    • EDU 915 - History and Philosophy of Education 
    • EDU 920 - Education Policy: Impact on Teachers, Students, and Local Communities 
    • EDU 925 - Leadership and Organizational Change 
    • EDU 927 - Transformative Learning 
    • EDU 929 - Curriculum Change and Innovation 
    • EDU 950 - Educational Research 
    • EDU 952 - Qualitative Methods 
    • EDU 954 - Educational Statistics
  5. Dissertation/Leader Scholar Community Courses: The following courses will not be considered for transfer credit as they are integral to facilitating students’ success as scholarly practitioners:
    • EDU 956 - Leader Scholar Communities (LSCs) 
    • EDU 998 - Dissertation Hours 

Transfer credit evaluation process

  1. Submission of Request: Admitted students seeking to transfer credits must submit the Transfer Request Form to the EdD program director within their first fall semester of enrollment in the EdD program, including syllabi, transcripts and any other relevant documentation for the courses they wish to transfer.
  2. Review by EdD Program Director and Advisory Committee: The EdD program director will review each request (in consultation, as necessary, with the EdD advisory committee) considering the alignment of the course content with the program's curriculum, the academic rigor of the course and the relevance to the student's professional goals and specialized area of interest.
  3. Final Decision: Decisions regarding transfer credits will be communicated to the student in writing. Approved transfer credits will be documented in the student's academic record.

For questions about transfer credit 

Although no transfer credit will not be approved prior to admission to the EdD program, prospective students are encouraged to contact the EdD program director to discuss how prior courses might fit into a specific EdD plan of study aligned with their professional goals. These conversations will be most productive if students have identified specific corresponding MSU graduate-level course(s) and can articulate how identified courses contribute to a coherent plan of study that supports the student’s professional goals. 

Person item component: NicoleWest@MissouriState.edu
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